Practice Areas
The matters in which Imperium Dei provides defence, counsel and legal support to individuals, families and organizations, in Ecuador and abroad.
Our scope of work
One working method applied across different fields of law
Our work is organized into five groupings. In all of them we begin the same way: we study the facts, review the evidence actually available, identify the rules that apply under current Ecuadorian law, and only then propose a course of action, together with the deadlines and obligations it carries.
That initial reading is what distinguishes a matter that should be argued before a court from one that can be resolved through administrative channels, and from one that may admit an agreement between the parties. Not every field is handled in the same way, but each demands the same technical care.
First grouping
Criminal and Penitentiary Law
Criminal matters are shaped above all by time. A detention, a flagrante delicto hearing or the formal filing of charges opens short procedural windows in which acting promptly conditions everything that follows. We take on the technical defence from the earliest stages, with attention to due process, to the handling and custody of evidence, and to the consistency of the proof the other side intends to rely on.
Our involvement does not end with a judgment. In penitentiary matters we advise the person deprived of liberty and their family on the mechanisms contemplated by current Ecuadorian law and on the steps that must be taken before the competent authority, according to the facts and the stage the case has reached.
Areas included
- Criminal law
- Flagrante delicto proceedings
- Penitentiary and prison law
Second grouping
Family, Children and Civil Matters
Family matters are rarely only legal. Behind a child support claim, a visitation arrangement or a dispute over parental authority there are relationships that will continue to exist long after the proceeding ends. Where the case allows it, we look for solutions that protect the best interests of the child and reduce the strain on everyone involved, without giving up the firmness a matter may require.
In civil matters we handle obligations, contracts, property, estates and patrimonial disputes. We begin by examining titles and the available documentation, because in this field the strength of the documentary record tends to weigh more heavily than any argument built afterwards.
Areas included
- Family law
- Child support
- Civil law
Third grouping
Immigration and International Procedures
We assist foreign nationals who wish to settle in Ecuador or regularize their situation here, and Ecuadorians living abroad who need a procedure or a case resolved in the country. We analyse which immigration category corresponds to each situation, the requirements set by the competent authority and the consequences of each alternative before any application is filed.
The documentary side is just as decisive. We advise on legalizations, apostille, translations, powers of attorney and consular procedures, so that documents issued in one country take effect in another. A great many avoidable delays originate in a poorly prepared document rather than in the substance of the matter.
Areas included
- Immigration, visas and residency
- International, consular, apostille and document procedures
Fourth grouping
Constitutional, Administrative and Employment Law
This grouping brings together the matters in which a person faces a decision taken by a public authority, an employer or a third party and needs to contest it. Constitutional guarantees protect fundamental rights where no other adequate route exists; administrative and contentious channels allow acts, penalties and resolutions to be challenged, including those arising from traffic matters; and employment law addresses the working relationship, its termination and the entitlements that flow from it.
In all of them, challenging a decision demands precision: identifying the act that can actually be appealed, the applicable deadline and the argument with a real prospect of being heard. Where appropriate, we also raise the claim for compensation and full reparation that the case may admit, according to the facts and the evidence available.
Areas included
- Constitutional law
- Administrative law
- Traffic law
- Labour and employment law
- Appeals and legal challenges
- Compensation and full reparation
Fifth grouping
Mediation and Institutional Law
Not every conflict requires litigation. Mediation and alternative dispute resolution make it possible to build agreements with legal effect in matters that may be settled, and with less strain on the parties. Our legal director is an accredited mediator, which allows us to assess with informed judgement whether a matter lends itself to this route or whether the judicial path should be maintained.
The second component of this grouping is institutional. We accompany foundations, associations, churches, ministries and nonprofit organizations in their formation, regularization and orderly functioning before the competent authority, in accordance with current Ecuadorian law as it applies to each type of organization.
Areas included
- Mediation and alternative dispute resolution
- Formation and regularization of foundations, associations, churches, ministries and nonprofit organizations
About this list
This list is indicative. It describes the matters we work in regularly; it is not a closed classification, nor an indication of how any particular matter would be handled. The applicable strategy always depends on the specific facts, on the evidence available and on the law in force at the time of acting.
If your situation does not fit clearly into any of these groupings, write to us anyway. We will tell you whether it falls within our areas of work and, if it does not, we will say so plainly.
Submitting this form or contacting the firm does not automatically create an attorney-client relationship. Do not send confidential, privileged, sensitive, or original documents until the firm has confirmed representation and provided instructions.
Speak with our firm about your matter
Tell us in general terms what you need, without sending confidential documents in the first contact. We will tell you whether the matter falls within our areas of work and what the next steps would be.